...I've wandered off in some strange directions, and although I'd like to blame it on COVID, in all honesty I know it's been much longer than that. My "dry spell" with my journal and art has been long and very strange.
Happy to say I seem to be finding my way back, new inspirations, more interest, more of a simple urge to document, to observe, to respond...
Recently, it was sparked by new tools, as it often is. A new tool, a new medium, a new technique, and suddenly we NEED to try it...
My ever-so-creative friend Elizabeth Lifa Metz (check out her Etsy Shop, Conifer Crow, for some wonderful journals, classes, zines and other goodies!) posted about her new fountain brush pens,
and my creative ears perked up! They're made not unlike TWSBI fountain
pens, but with a strong Lamy-like clip, and they are CHEAP. As in 3 for $15.95.
Had to give it a try...
These were the
"Wing
Sung 3009 Piston-Filled Flexible Brush Tip Fountain Pen, Fine to Broad
For Sketching, Drawing, Scrapbooking and Calligraphy Painting," (brand appears to be Lanxivi) on Amazon, though I'm sure they're probably available elsewhere.
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| The pen works a lot like a TWSBI, with a piston fill, which I really like. So far, I was just playing with one pen and Rose Mary, at the cabin. To get darker values, I layered. |
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When I got home I filled another pen with black and punched up my sketch a bit.
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This are the three values I'm using now...Noodler's Lexington Grey, De Atramentis Document Black, and the same ink diluted.
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S0 far my sticky labels aren't staying stuck. They all look pretty much the same in the pen, so I'll have to come up with something. Even though I just had the grey and black, I could see this was going to work!
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I loved that you can get such a range of line width with a brush that you can't with a pen. Yummy, textures!
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I added just a bit of linework and that 2nd grey when I got home. Nice that you can do less or more detail with these tools...
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Look at the variety of line widths and effects possible!
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You could fill the pens with watercolors, as they show in their Amazon listing, but I chose three values of ink for sketching--as noted, De Atramentis Document Black, and the same diluted with their proprietary dilution solution, and Noodler's Lexington Grey.
So maybe the moral of the story is if you're in a dry spell, just consider trying something new, kick back, play, get out in nature and enjoy yourself!
